Hi,
I have returned to Hong Kong and I am thinking to get a W140 S500L. I need some buying advice and what area I should concern.
The S500 I am looking is a 96 model, is it a good buy? It loaded with glass sunroof, 5sp automatic and original parking sensor.
This car also has ASR and a new AC control panel. (also a remote control for the stereo, which is new to me)
So here is my question.
1) Does this car has self leveling? if so, how can i check it?
2) IF the AC is a money pit? i know many ppl said the W124 may have AC problem which u need to get the whole dash out... when i test drive the car, the AC blow very cold!
3) How about the Powersteeling, as my former 94 E420 does leak PS fluid.
4) THis car is a 96 so is it a good year to buy? compare with 97 or 95? some said the 92/93 500SEL is better built/quality, is it true?

Thank you very much!

1) Check for a pump behind the power steering pump and a reservoir with hydraulic fluid (usually green).

2) Some cars have persistent problems with the AC evaporator. Earlier cars are worse than later cars.

3) Power steering pumps and steering boxes develop leaks. Shouldn't be that expensive to repair.

4) Later cars seem to be less prone to problems. The 97-99 models are considered to be the ones to get. Maybe it's because the problems have not yet manifested.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

As Sixto said, the later cars are said to be better, with the 1999 model year being the most trouble free.

I think the power steering pump / hoses leak on W124 400E / E420 cars so much because these cars weren't designed with the V8 in mind. The engine bay is very tight with the V8, and is very, very hot, causing leaks.

The engine / transmission on W140 cars are bullet proof, with the engine probably lasting longer than you'll every keep the car.

Of all the things that can go wrong, it seems the a/c evaporator leaks are the most common and most costly. The a/c evap. is buried in the dash.The part itself is not too costly, but the labor is. Book time is over 20 hours for the job.

You may have to replace the a/c evaporator once in your ownership experience, but it is still worth it to me.

I think 1996 and later cars are more desireable than earlier cars (1992-1995) because they are OBD-II, which means more items are covered by the diagnositc module. The HVAC controls also give you trouble codes for the system in 1996 and later cars.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

As for the earlier cars 92-95, this was the era when the engineers were still in control of the company rather than the accountants...the earlier cars dont have all of the extra electronic stuff that will break later down the road.

__________________
2002 G500 74K
1998 E300 200K and rising
1995 S600 73k


"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them
what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity."-General George S. Patton

Thanks everyone! So how can I identify if it is a 95 or 96 model with the new OBD-II?
How's the 5speed auto tran? I know the engine and the 4sp auto are bulletproof, but is the 5sp bulletproof too?
This car has only 30000 miles and i do want to keep it if the price and condition is right.

I don't know when the S class sedans got the 5 speed automatic transmission, but the E class sedans got the 5 speed in 1997.

The early 5 speed automatic was problematic, and resulted in a lot of updates.

I don't know when it was finally fixed, but I suspect it was in 1998 or 1999.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

All 1996 cars came with OBD-II by law.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

All 1996 cars came with OBD-II by law.

>Is it for US only? or for all S-class?

So when did Mercedes got the 5sp auto tran? is it realiable? as i read from this forum the 97 e-class does give troubles.....

Paul, on the OBD-II thing, jchowe420 noted that he has returned to Hong Kong. I for one don't know if the year-to-year changes in US cars followed the year-to-year changes in cars in other markets.

jchowe, any MB dealer should be able to determine by the chassis number the year model of a specific MB. In US terms, 95 was the last year of the parking guide antennas at the rear corners. Also the last year of the less attractive IMO climate control switches (3 clusters of buttons vs something that looks like a stereo unit).

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Thanks Sixto,
you always giving me good advise! (not sure if u still remember me... i do own a 560SEL b4 too)
guess need to do more research for W140 in hk, most of the ppl said S320 is better because of gas price/maintainence cost. But i do like the V8 engine and the used car price is almost the same! (compare new car price in 96 S320 cost USD150000 and S500 cost almost USD250000 in HK)

so does any one know when is the first year MB has 5sp auto? i heard that the 96 S600 has 5sp auto standard in USA, is it the same one using in 97 E320 ?

The W140 got a 5 speed auto back in '92, but only in the 300SE(L)
~D.J.~

The S-class got the 5-speed transmission in 96. In my opinion, if you want a 5-speed S-class go with a 98 or newer...I always believed that the first of every new feature has some bugs in it. Also the 96 and newer have the "fill for life" transmissions which has raised alot of questions about their reliablilty. Some say never to change the transmission fuild some say to get it changed. Personally I'd go with a 4 speed because whether you have a 500 or 600, they have so much power that a 5-speed is not really needed.

__________________
2002 G500 74K
1998 E300 200K and rising
1995 S600 73k


"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them
what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity."-General George S. Patton

The problem is HK has no W140 after 1998( or maybe so little and hard to find), so maybe i should consider a late 97 model. So the car has no self leveling suspension does it mean it will have less trouble? also if the car has no ! (which appear in my old 560SEL and new E210 E320) in the speedometer does it mean it has no ESP? it does have ASR.
sorry for so many questions but i do want to know more about the W140. I really want to find one and keep one... (I really miss my 560, too bad I cant find one in HK anymore, guess there should be least than 10 in HK running now)

inetd, i also think the 97-99 w140 are the best mercedes too (i do like the AC panel and the parktronic) the main thing i concern is the 5sp auto and the AC...the s-class in hk has the headlight level adjuster, i am wondering if it is possible to upgrade the head light to Xeron light? and is it expensive?
thanks!

thanks inetd!
guess i should first choose my own s500 first... then consider the goodies...
so is your car got the 5sp auto tranny?
how does it feel?